Spacer



Aug. 9, 1955 T. w. GRIFFITHS 2,714,817

SPACER Filed July 14, 1947 -29 4 6 Fig.5

i INVENTOR, e 52 7/?0/VA5 MzmMfiwFF/ms 4 54 34 52 BY W ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent SPACER Thomas William Grifliths, Alhambra, Calif.Application July 14, 1947, Serial No. 760,871

4 Claims. (Cl. 72122) The present invention relates to spacer.

The invention has for an object the provision of a spacer which isadapted to hold a reinforcing rod or bar, of a concrete structure, in apre-selected position within said structure.

In reinforced concrete structures utilizing rods or bars, haphazardpositioning of the rods and bars results in a weakened concretestructure. Such a structure does not resist forces efliciently. Myinvention is adapted to position a rod or bar, or a series thereof, in aselected location in concrete.

The invention has particular applicability for use with runner blocks.Such blocks may be formed of tile, cement, concrete, or other material,and are generally formed with voids. Runner blocks are laid in what istermed a stretcher course with the blocks in breakjoint relationship.This results in the voids being in substantial axial alignment. If thevoids are to be filled with concrete so as to give stability to theblock structure, it is customary to position in the voids, one or moresteel rods or bars, of which there are many types, such as ovoid,monotype, rib, corrugated, diamond, and twisted. If a single rod or baris passed through the voids in a built-up runner block construction, itis essential that the rod or bar be centered in said voids. If thereinforcement shifts from one side to the other, and is not maintainedin substantial alignment Within the voids, the concrete, when poured,will be thin so far as the rod is concerned, at one portion t ereof,which results in a weakened structure, and one that is not properlyreinforced. Concrete should be symmetrically disposed about areinforcement when a single row of reinforcement is used and thepossibility exists of lateral forces normal to the wall in eitherdirection.

The present invention is adapted to maintain a rod or bar within thevoids of runner blocks in a built-up runner block construction so thatsaid reinforcement is maintained in a definite position withrelationship to the voids. v

A further object is the provision of a. spacer adapted to cooperate witha reinforcing rod in such a manner as to permit the rod and the spacerto be moved vertically in two directions, to-wit, upwardly ordownwardly.

A further object is the provision of a spacer for reinforcement rodswhich efiects a saving not only in the cost of material, but in laborcosts as well. With respect to the aforesaid object, it may be pointedout that it is standard practice where the reinforcement rod is requiredto be centered in the block voids to provide horizontal bars in the wallwith the vertical rods tied to the horizontal bars. This tying isusually accomplished by breaking out certain of the blocks in the wallto afford access to the horizontal bar to effect a tie between saidhorizontal bar and a vertical rod. Use of the present inventioneliminates the need of the horizontal bar, thus affording a laborsaving. Furthermore, when a block or blocks must be broken from the Wallfor the purpose mentioned, the wall is blemished be- 2,714,817 PatentedAug. 9, 1955 cause of the patching that must be resorted 'to when ablock is replaced. If the method just outlined is not followed, it iscustomary to tie lengths of vertical rods together. These vertical rodsare placed in approximately 5 foot lengths, and the workman is requiredto lift one or more of the blocks upwardly and to drop the same over thevertical rod through the void in the block. Thus, when near the top ofthe '5 foot height of rod, a new rod is lapped approximately two feetpast the first bar, followed by raising the blocks in each-instance forpassage over a rod or rods. This is a tedious process and requiresconsiderable time. With the use of the present invention, full lengthbars may be installed, thus eliminating the need for intermediatesplices.

A further object is the provision of a spacer or tie for reinforcement,which is inexpensive in cost of manufacture, easily applied to areinforcing rod or bar, effectively holds the rod or bar in apredetermined position within an object, such as a runner block, andwhich is superior to devices for effecting alignment of a rod or bar nowknown to the inventor.

With the above mentioned and other objects in view, the inventionconsists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction,association, and relative arrangement of parts, members, and features,all as shown in certain embodiments in the accompanying drawing,described generally, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly *in section, of awall structure utilizing runner blocks and incorporating the invention,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation of one of the rod spacers of theinvention,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, and takensubstantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of a modified form of spacer showncooperating with a rod or bar,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation of a further modified form of spaceradapted to secure a pair of rodsor bars,

Figure 7 is a plan view of a runner block having two voids, one void ofwhich has therein a spacer of the type shown in Figure 2, and the othervoid of which has a spacer of the type shown in Figure 6, and.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevation of a further modi fied form ofspacer.

Referring now with particularity to the drawing, I have shown in Figure1 a wall 1 made up of concrete blocks 2, commonly known as runnerblocks, and which blocks are laid in stretcher courses, with the blocksof one course in break-point or overlapped relationship with respect tothe blocks in a second stretcher course. This results in a wall of anyheight and wherein voids 3 and 4 are in alignment, that is, the void 3of one block will lie directly over a void 4 of a block therebeneath anddirectly under a void 4 of a block thereabove. Thus, all voids are inalignment. I do not confine the invention to a block of any particularform, or one that must have two voids, it being understood that the wallstructure is illustrative only. Such a runner block type of wall isreinforced by pouring concrete into the voids to fill the same and thusinterlock the different blocks against shifting. It is customary toreinforce the concrete, and this is accomplished by providing rods orbars of steel which are embedded within the concrete either before orafter the concrete has been poured. As stated in the preamble, it isessential, in order to obtain maximum strength in the poured concretestructure, that the rods or 3 bars be properly centered in the voids;otherwise, the rods or bars will be closer to one side of a void thanthe other, assuming a rectangular shaped void, and this shift ofposition may continue throughout the voids of the otherblocks. When theconcrete is poured, thereinforcement therein does not give full strengthto the structure. Accordingly, I have provided an inexpensive andefficient series of spacers which cooperate with the rods or bars insuch a manner as to maintain the rods or bars in a selected position inthe voids of the blocks,'to the end that when concrete is poured, therods or bars are prevented from any shift of position.

The rods or bars 5 may take any form desired, whether round or square,or whether provided with surface configurations. r

I have illustrated four different types of spacers in the severalfigures, and which are designated as 6, 7, 8 and 9. The form shown at 6includes two flexible and resilient arms 10 andll'of equal length andstrength and which extend outwardly from a loop or clip 12, the loop orclip beingof the form shown in Figure 4. Such a clip is convenientlyformed by providing a substantially threeor bar, a pair of arms 22 and23 which diverge from said clip, the arms being curvedly bent at 24 and25 to provide downwardly and inwardly-extending portions 26 and 27,which portions are again curvedly bent so as to provide .two upwardlyextending portions 28 and 29, which are convergently related andterminate with clips 30 and 31. In this form of the invention, the clips21, 30 and 31 engage the rod or bar, and the curved portions 24 and 25are adapted to transversely or diametrically engage the wall bounding avoid in a block so as to center the rod therein. v 7

That form of the invention shown in Figure 6, and

designated as 8, is adapted to engage a pair of spaced quarterhalf-round portion 13 which interconnects the arms 10 and 11. Tostabilize the structure, I provide a brace 14 which is provided with anintermediate clip 15 and two arms 16 and 17, the arms being welded orotherwise secured to the arms 10 and 11. The spacer may be formed ofwire, and when it is desired to use a spacer of this form, the clips 12and 15 snap engage the rod or bar 5, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.Generally, the spacers are arranged at different points on the rod orbar 5, as illustrated in Figure 1 at 18. When the spacers are soarranged, the rod, with the spacers thereon, may be passed downwardlythrough the aligned voids of the blocks, the ends of the arms 10 and 11flexing inwardly as, for instance, illustrated by the dotted linepositions for said arms shown in FigureZ. Consequently, the ends of thearms have a spread greater than the diagonal dimension of a void. Thisis illustrated in Figure 1, wherein the diagonal of a void is projectedin dotted lines to show that the ends of the two arms have a spacinggreater than the diagonal. When the rod and spacers, as shown at 18, arepassed downwardly through the voids, the ends of the arms flex inwardly,as shown in Figure 2, so that the spacers engage the wall surfacesbounding the, voids and thereby'hold the rod centered within the void,as

see Figure 1 at 19. The brace 14 assures that the' arms will continue toengage the wall bounding the voids in the blocks during a concretepouring operation, as for instance'illustrated at 20. 7

As before mentioned, the arms of a spacer are of the same length andstrength. As a consequence, the arms will deflect evenly and, in thismanner, maintain a rod or bar properly centered within a void. The arms16 and 11 form a wing member on one side of the alined clips 12.and 15while the arms 17 and 10 form a similar and symmetrical wing member onthe other side of the clips, so the two wing members extend radially inopposite Y directions from the centerline of the alined clips whichcoincides with the axis of the rod 5. It might be mentioned that whereasthe present voids in the blocks are shown as rectangular, it is obviousthat any other configuration of void may be used, such as circular.However, the result is the sarne so far as the spacer is concerned.Furthermore, in the type of the invention shown, the' concrete may bepoured through the voids prior to inserting the reinforcement therein,spacers of the invention passing through the concrete, and correctlypositioning the reinforcement rod therein. The arms, due to theirconstruction, readily pass minor obstructions in the concrete block,such as mortar joints.

The forms of the invention shown at 7, 8, and 9 all operate on the sameprinciple, and only differ as to form of the wires. That form shown at 7in Figure 5 includes a lower clip 21 adapted to have engagement with arod reinforcing rods or bars. In this form, the spacer is provided witha transverse piece 32 formed with a pair of clips 33 and 34, with arms35 and 36 extending upwardly and outwardly so that the pair of arms aredivergently related, said arms terminating in ends 37 and 38, which aresubstantially parallel. The arms are braced by member 39 which includesa transverse piece 40 provided with a pair of clips 41 and 42, and witharms 43 and 44 which are secured to arms 35 and 36. It will be observedthat the clip engaging portions are in sub-. stantial parallelism and ofidentical spacing. In this form of the invention, the clips for thebrace 39 engage a pair of bars, and the clips 33 and 34 likewise engagethe same bars. properly spaced within voids, as illustrated in Figure 7,for the void 4. a V a The spacers shown in Figure 8 and designated byreference as 9, include two arms 45 and 46, which are bent to haveparallel portions 47 and 48, two divergently related portions, andterminal projections 49 and 50 whichare substantially parallel. Theparallel portions 47. and 48 are interconnected by transverse pieces 51and 52, both of which are centrally formed with clips 53 and 54. Theseclips take the same'form asishown for the clip in Figure 4. The spacermay be formed of Wires of difierent size; in fact, the transverse pieces51 and 52 may be of relatively light weight wire, whereas the arms 45and 46 may be of heavier wire. The transverse members are secured to thearms inany approved manner, such as by Welding. By making the transversemembers of lighter material, a saving in the cost of fabricating aspacer is effected. This type of spacer, as well as the type showninFigure 6, permits ready insertion of. a rod containing a spacer orspacers within a void, and likewise the removal of the rod with thespacer. The parallel ends 49 and 50 allow the spacer to move upwardly.

The operation, uses, and advantages of the invention are as follows: i

a In any form of the spacer, it will be observed that the arms arecapable of flexing to accommodate for difierent sized. voids in a block.Not all blocks are of the same size, and within a given range, thespacers of the invention will fit within said voids. the ends of thearms of said spacersare free for flexing,

or are of the enclosed type, such as shown in Figure .5, a

the construction is such as to'permit flexibility of the arms. 1 e a rIn the case of the spacer shown in Figure '5, the curved portions 24 and25, when engaging a wall bounding a void in a block, will flex the armportions inwardly. That form of the invention shown in Figures 6 and 8operates on the same principle as that form shown in Figure 2, save andexcept that the ends 37 and 38, and 49 and 50, flex upwardly, whichpermits the spacers to be raised or lowered within a void., 7 7

' All forms of the invention, however, accommodate perfectly rods orbars which are utilized for reinforcing a structure so that thereinforcement is held properly centered or at a defined position withinconcrete. Strength of wall is thereby assured. 1 r

I claim: 1. Aspaced for. accurately positioning a reinforcing This formof the invention will hold two bars.

In every instance, whether .5 rod in chosen position in an elongatedvoid to be filled with concrete, comprising two spaced and axiallyalined snap-on clips adapted to grip a reinforcing rod, and two wingmembers each with a flexible void-wall-engaging portion, and joiningboth of the spaced clips, one wing member on one side of each clip andthe other wing member on the opposite side of each clip, to hold theclips a fixed distance apart, said wing members, each consisting of twoanns one of which extends at an acute angle to the centerline of thespacer, extending radially in opposite directions from the centerline ofthe alined clips, so

that the rod and both wing members lie in substantially the same plane,whereby a rod with a number of such spacers ataached thereto may readilybe inserted in a void whose diameter or greatest cross sectionaldimension is less than the distance between the wall-engaging portionsof the wing members, and so that the reinforcing rod is held in aselected location, usually centrally of the void.

2. A spacer for accurately positioning a reinforcing rod in a chosenposition in an elongated void to be filled with concrete, comprising ametal cross piece having centrally a rod engaging snap-on clip, asecondsnap-on clip spaced from and alined with said first mentioned clip, aflexible wall-engaging arm arranged at an acute angle to the axis of thetwo clips on both sides thereof and each connected to the lower clip andto the cross piece at one end of the latter, the arms being free fromthe junction of the cross piece to their wall-engaging ends, whereby thecross piece acts as a brace and when the reinforcing rod and itsattached spacers is pushed into a void smaller than the normal distancebetween the free ends of the arms.

3. A spacer for accurately positioning a reinforcing rod in chosenposition in an elongated void to be filled with concrete, comprising aV-shaped resilient strip having at its vertex a snap-on clip, and abrace having centrally a snap-on clip, said brace being permanentlysecured at both ends to an intermediate portion of the V-shaped strip inposition to align the two clips for gripping a reinforcing rod, andbeing substantially at right angles to the center line of the clips.

4. The spacer of claim 1 in which both wing members and both clips areformed from a single piece of wire, one clip being at the center of thepiece of wire and the other clip being in two parts formed at the endsof the Wire, the wall-engaging portions each being curved.

eferences Cited in the file of this patent NIT ED STATES PATENTS 815,409Cummings Mar. 20, 1906 875,983 Clayton Jan. 7, 1908 1,005,289 ONeil Oct.10, 1911 1,365,125 Schroeder, Jr Jan. 11, 1921 1,422,157 White July 11,1922 1,592,357 Harden July 13, 1926 1,616,977 Koivu Feb. 8, 19271,641,109 Wilson Aug. 30, 1927 1,645,766 McCulloch et al Oct. 18, 19271,812,913 White July 7, 1931 2,216,676 Ragland Oct. 1, 1940 2,219,555Burwell Oct. 29, 1940 2,253,224 Bleakley Aug. 19, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS532,236 Great Britain Jan. 20, 1941

